It's a vintage year for posh wine sales

LOOKING forward to a glass of your favourite cheeky little vintage tonight? Join the fast growing band of British wine snobs.

Couples are treating themselves to more sophisticated wine when dining at home

Long derided by Gallic neighbours for our “unsophisticated” palates, Britons have started to rival the pickiest French and Italian connoisseurs.

As the national palate becomes more discerning, sales of cheap plonk are falling even during the recession.

The fastest growing area of UK wine sales in the last year has been for bottles costing £7, £8 and £10-plus, according to retail analysts Nielsen.

Demand for £10 wines grew by nearly a quarter – 23 per cent – in the year to November 2012. But sales of £4 and £5 bottles fell by five per cent despite a squeeze on household incomes.

In spite of the tough economic times there seems to be a new ‘treat culture’ where shoppers are trading up, typically at the weekend, and rewarding themselves with a quality bottle of wine.

Tesco fine wines buyer manager Lindsey Chadwick

Tesco, which is now the UK’s largest wine retailer, has seen an even more pronounced move towards finer wines. Bottles at £15-plus have shown record growth of 49 per cent in the last month compared to the same period in 2011. It now stocks wines at £1,000 a bottle.

Experts put the trend down to a “foodie culture” among a new generation of Britons who are more confident, sophisticated and knowledgeable.

"In spite of the tough economic times there seems to be a new ‘treat culture’ where shoppers are trading up, typically at the weekend, and rewarding themselves with a quality bottle of wine.

“A growing number of shoppers are willing to spend at least £7-£8 for a bottle and often over £15.”

Demand for £10 wines grew by 23 per cent in the year to November 2012

She added: “Spending £15-£20 on a bottle of wine in a restaurant is the norm. As more people are ‘dining out at home’ they are increasingly realising the excellent quality they can get when they spend a similar amount in a retailer.”